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Where do genes come from? - Carl Zimmer

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When life emerged on Earth about 4 billion years ago, the earliest
microbes had a set of basic genes that succeeded in keeping them alive.
In the age of humans and other large organisms, there are a lot more
genes to go around. Where did all of those new genes come from? Carl
Zimmer examines the mutation and multiplication of genes.

About TED-Ed Originals

TED-Ed Original lessons feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed original? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

Educator Carl Zimmer

Director Hector Herrera

Producer Pazit Cahlon

Script Editor Michael Molina

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Additional Resources for you to Explore

Want to learn more about mutations and how essential they are to evolution? The site has all the science you need to get a great background in this topic! Are mutations random? How do they affect an organism? Go here to find out more!

Genes, mutations and evolution! Carl Zimmer, the author of this TED Ed lesson wrote an article: A Long Way Left Up Darwin’s Mountain, where he described natural selection and the evolution of Escherichia coli. Learn how the researchers found out that natural selection in this organism may never really stop. What do mutations have to do with all this? Read and find out!The article: The Continuing Evolution of Genes describes in greater detail how scientists discover that solitary genes (also called orphan genes or de novo genes) exist that are only found in only one species. How might this happen if genes need to be copied from earlier genes? What else is left to learn about mutations, genes and evolution that we have yet to discover? Will we be able to predict what may happen in the evolutionary future? Listen to this “fish story” and learn about the “shocking” possibilities of future evolution in the electric eel.

Did snake venom always exist? How did snakes evolve to have the advantage of a venomous bite? Learn more here at National Geographic. How can learning about the evolution of venom help scientists? What can we learn from studying venom evolution? Watch this video: How Snakes Got their Venom and learn more about this recent discovery!

The Loom post: The Smell of Evolution better explains how our diversity of smelling genes has changed over time! Are we better “smellers” than we were in the past? How could this happen? Which organisms have the greatest number of olfactory genes? Why is this an advantage? Which mammal has the most sensitive sniffer? Read this article to find out! Here’s a great infographic with more information!

About TED-Ed Originals

TED-Ed Original lessons feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed original? Nominate yourself here »